The Rarest and Most Valuable Playstation 2 (PS2) Games

The PS2 game library is starting to come to an end, and much the like the PS1 before it, there is a strong selection of collector-friendly titles to choose from. And if history is any indication, many of these values might fluxate quite a bit over the next few years. Since the initial publication of this guide in 2010, we have already seen a good deal of fluctuation — partially because of reprints and remakes, but also because of changes in demand as the PS2 loses popularity.

In stark contrast to the Cheapest Games series, this Rare & Valuable series will round up the rarest and most valuable games for a given console or handheld so you’ll know what to look for whether you are buying or selling. Below you will see two prices beside each title. The first is the average daily selling price, which is typically the going rate for the game by itself. The second price is the highest price in the past three months which is usually the price for the new/sealed game. Note that some of these games are not rare in the sense that there are not many available, but rare relative to demand, which makes the games expensive. (Digg This Article)

Special Note: Music game bundles like Guitar Hero, Rock Band, and Beatmania are not included in this list as the included instruments add quite a bit to the value and would otherwise dominate the list. I’d rather focus on just games and those that have more collector interest.

Most Valuable Limited Editions

Mushihime-sama Limited Box: $220 – $240
This limited edition version of an already-popular 2D shooter from Cave also includes figurines of the game’s characters, Reco and Kinero. A sealed copy sold on eBay in 2010 $175, so we’ve seen quite an increase in just two years. This set doesn’t show up too often, so values may fluctuate.Check for Mushihime-sama Limited Box on eBay

Street Fighter III: Third Strike Limited Edition: $190 – $230
One of my all-time favorite fighters in a limited edition forms. As if the game wasn’t great enough, this Japanese release contains a DVD containing battles from the masters of the game, a reprint of a game guide and a 300-piece jigsaw puzzle.

Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater Premium Package: $90 – $349
It shouldn’t be a huge surprise that Metal Gear Solid is involved in making the list of collectible games (also see below for standard sealed releases). This particular set was released in Japan with a special DVD, two special booklets and a painted 1/144-scale model of the Shagohod. A sealed copy recently sold on eBay for $349, but you can also buy new copies on Amazon for about $265. There have been opened copies on eBay quite a bit for just over $100 asking price will few takers. Even though I haven’t seen an opened copy have a documented sell in the past month, I would appraise the box set at around $90.Check for Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater Premium Package on AmazonCheck for Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater Premium Package on eBay

Metal Gear Solid 3 Subsistence Limited Edition: $50 – $150
And here’s another Metal Gear Solid release — this time a US release. Only availible to pre-order buyers, this special release includes Existence, the game’s cut scenes edited into a three-and-a-half-hour feature film with additional scenes and remastered sound. Back in 2010, this was going for $125 to $400. It’s dropped quite a bit in value since then. The highest on eBay in the past month was $60, but a sealed copy could probably still get about $150 or more.Check for Metal Gear Solid 3 Subsistence Limited Edition on AmazonCheck for Metal Gear Solid 3 Subsistence Limited Edition on eBay

Valuable Japanese Standard Releases

Ibara: $180 – $200
Much like the Sega Saturn, the Playstation 2 has a handful of 2D shooters that draw in hardcore fans. However, since shmups aren’t especially mainstream outside of Japan, they usually remain Japanese exclusives and command high prices. Ibara leads the pack of regular Japanese releases as there aren’t too many copies of this Cave-developed shooter that typically appear on eBay at any given time. This release has cooled just a bit over the past two years.Check for Ibara on eBay

Mushihime-sama: $90 – $100
Ibara was the last Cave shooter released on the PS2 and probably had a lower print run because of it. Mushihime-sama is right behind Ibara as it was released about a year beforehand (original PS2 release was in 2005). Of course, as mentioned above, a limited edition box set was also released and sells for a bit of a premium.Check for Mushihime-sama on eBay

Princess Lover! Eternal Love For My Lady: $80 – $83
The Japanese love their romantic visual novels…. This PS2 release has been tweaked in a handful of ways from it’s initial PC release. It has remastered graphics, additional scenarios, and the content has been toned down to be a bit more appropriate for younger gamers. There is also a more limited version of the game availible that has a higher asking price.Check for Princess Lover! Eternal Love for My Lady on eBay

Espgaluda: $58 – $70
This shooter from Cave is the spiritual successor of it’s 1998 title, ESP Ra.De. Espgaluda was released on the PS2 in 2004. The sequel, Espgaluda II, was recently released in 2010 on the Xbox 360 and iPhone, so it will be interesting if we see some additional interest in this PS2 title. This titles has cooled from it’s $70 – $100 range in 2010.Check for Espalgulda on eBay

Melty Blood Actress Again: $65 – $75
Of course the shooters can’t have all the fun on this list — it’s only fair that we see a 2D fighter on this list of PS2 collectibles. The Melty Blood series saw a couple Japanese exclusives on the PS2 — the first being Act Cadenza (which goes for about $50). Actress Again was released 3 years later in 2009. Of course, being an especially late release it has a rather limited print run and usually stays in the hands of the hardcore crowd.Check for Melty Blood Actress Again on eBay

Valuable Standard Releases

.hack Part 4: Quarantine: $53 – $142
Now that games like Marvel vs Capcom 2 and Ico have seen re-releases on the PS3, other collectable gems that have remained PS2 exclusives have been able to take over the “most valuable” list. Much like the original Playstation, the list of valuable games includes a handful of RPGs. The .hack series is especially popular with RPG fans and collectors. Quarantine easily tops the list, commanding at least double the amount of most other games in the series.Check for .hack Part 4 Quarantine on AmazonCheck for .hack Part 4 Quarantine on eBay

Shadow Hearts: $32 – $135
This RPG series got off to a bit of a rough commerical start being released just a week before Final Fantasy X in North America. However, it has gather a number of fans and sequels. The standard complete price for this title has held quite steady, but the trend in the sealed games increasing continues here.Check for Shadow Hearts on AmazonCheck for Shadow Hearts on eBay

Baldur’s Gate Dark Alliance II: $34 – $90
While most valuable RPGs are of Japanese origin, we do see some American representation here with Dark Alliance II. This game isn’t even a PS2 exclusive, but from a sample of eBay listings, there seems to significantly less copies up for grabs than the XBox version. We’ve seen standard complete copies dip in value just a bit since 2010, but much less than most of the big names. Sealed copies, however, has risen in value a healthy amount.Check for Dark Alliance II on AmazonCheck for Dark Alliance II on eBay

Rule of Rose: $40 – $88
This psychological horror game from cult-classic factory, Altus has been a bit of a hidden game since it’s release in 2006. Since then it has gradually risen in the ranks of collector’s pieces of the PS2 library. This is an up-and-comer to keep an eye on.Check for Rule of Rose on AmazonCheck for Rule of Rose on eBay

Wild Arms – Alter Code: F: $35 – $74
Wild Arms was a cult classic on the PS1 and Alter Code: F served as a remake for the PS2 and features 3D environments, more playable characters and other improvements. Apparently collectors approve the remake as it has been climbing the charts on this PS2 list while the PS1 original is still significantly cheaper.Check for Wild Arms – Alter Code F on AmazonCheck for Wild Arms – Alter Code F on eBay

Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army : $28 – $95
The Shin Megami Tensei series once had a strong representation on this list before reprints brought down the values of many of the games. Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army was the first of the Devil Summomer games localized for English audiences (the original games were on the Japanese Saturn) and also remains as one of the few in the series to hold its value.. Much like Dark Alliance II, we saw a drop in normal complete copies over the past two years, but sealed copies have risen slightly.Check for Devil Summoner on AmazonCheck for Devil Summoner on eBay

Ico: $20 – $70
Much like Marvel vs. Capcom 2, we have seen a HUGE drop in value of Ico after a re-release. Even though it was a full HD retail release at a higher price point on the PS3, the relelease left the original PS2 version out in the cold with collectors. Instead of garnering $50 to $120 for a PS2 copy, you can now snag it for less than half that price. Ico had long been a underground favorite of the PS2 library. Once it’s spiritual successor, Shadow of the Colossus, gained fame, Ico’s profile has increased and the value of the game has stayed solidup until the re-release. It is still one of the harder PS2 classics to find and a sealed copy is still work a good deal to collectors.Check for Ico on AmazonCheck for Ico on eBay

Valuable Sealed US Games

(not an extensive list — only based on recent completed eBay Auctions with bidders)

118 Comments

Beautiful article racket. Just ran to my local Gamestop and picked up quarantine for $30 and I plan to resell it. I remember when ICO was $20 at Gamestop. Coulda added a classic to my collection for cheap.

I’ve got a press/review copy of UK Shadow of the Colossus (ICO 2). It even comes with the cover which inside shows the controls etc. I’m not sure how much it’s worth, but I’m guessing it’s more rare than say a retail/rental copy.

Gamestop oversold the hell out of MGS3 Subsistence SE. There were many more preorders (money down) than there were Special Editions. Gamestop failed to instate a cut off or there was a breakdown in communication between GS and Konami over the amount of units that would be available. The Gamestop I bought my SE from had around 10 “paid in full” preorders but only 2 SEs arrived.

To my knowledge, the Subsistence Special Edition was only released in the United States and Canada did not receive shipments at all.

Those two factors caused the game to jump to over $200 in value on eBay the minute it hit shelves.

The Megami Tensei games will go back up in value in a few years once the supply of reprints is exhausted. Persona 2 was reprinted about five years ago and it dropped to less than $30 for a period, but now it’s back up to $60+.

Hmm, good representation by the SMT games for certain. If I may mention a couple of things, though? I don’t know if you’d bother to add these details in or if you are monitoring the comments but Devil Summoner, Digital Devil Saga 2, and Nocturne all have some interesting tidbits about their value.

1) Devil Summoner was not a traditional SMT game in the least. Hardcore fans scoffed it because of its relative lack of challenge and how far a departure it was from the rest of the series. While some thought it was a breath of fresh air, the majority paid little attention to this game. It was only once the sequel was announced and Persona 3 had made this series more popular that the value of this game rose. There was a point where it had plummeted to the value of a GameStop bargain bin title at around 10 dollars. Maybe less.

2) Digital Devil Saga and Digital Devil Saga 2 have both been reprinted, but the original box set of the game still commands a relatively high value. Digital Devil Saga 1 initially came with a very nice box and soundtrack, with the box helping to build anticipation for the fact that this game was essentially a two-parter. There was space in the box for both games, and if you have both games and the box set the value about doubles.

3) While Nocturne has also been reprinted, the original print is still far far more valuable. The reprint is rumored to have some bugs the original does not such as freezing, but I don’t think anyone had ever proven this. What really makes it valuable is the fact that the original comes with a soundtrack CD that the reprint does not. The original print of the game in mint condition can still command a solid 100 dollars when the supply gets short. Right now it commands about 60.

Good God. I guess I should hold on to every game that I get and pay close attention to what could be valuable. That one classic “golden” nintendo game sold for thousands, but I can’t remember the name of it.

Marvel vs. Capcom 2 should not be consider rare. Is avaliable on xbox live and that has made the price value plomet. In my opinion Skygunner from atlus is never mention as a rare game, I only found one copy ever, and never again have I seen it.